Existing Japanese keyboards are slow, hard to use and inefficient. One keyboard, currently in use, uses the QWERTY alphanumeric type with fifty-one KANA characters arranged as a shift set. KANA, containing both KATAKANA and HIRAGANA, and KANJI are generated by specifically keyed entries aided by various keyboard controls, shifts and software used in conjunction with the keyboard.
A keyboard using a minimum number of characters, in conjunction with computer programs or software would simplify and speed the typing of Japanese.
The present keyboard device employs Romaji character notation for the entering of Japanese language text.
There are several systems of Romaji notation. The first is the Official System (according to Japanese Government Notification Number 1, dated Dec. 9, 1964). This system redefines the Roman alphabets employed as representing Japanese phonemes, regardless of their customary pronunciations in English or other European languages.
The Official System of Romaji notation with allowed exceptions is shown in Table I and Table II.
TABLE I ______________________________________ OFFICIAL ______________________________________ a i u e o ka ki ku ke ko kya kyu kyo sa si su se so sya syu kyo ta ti tu te to tya tyu tyo na ni nu ne no nya nyu nyo ha hi hu he ho hya hyu hyo ma mi mu me mo mya myu myo ya (i) yu (e) yo ra ri ru re ro rya ryu ryo wa (i) (u) (e) (o) ga gi gu ge go gya gyu gyo za zi zu ze zo zya zyu zyo da (zi) (zu) de do (zya) (zyu) (zyo) ba bi bu be bo bya byu byo pa pi pu pe po pya pyu pyo ______________________________________
TABLE II ______________________________________ OFFICIAL EXCEPTIONS ______________________________________ sha shi shu sho tsu cha chi chu cho fu ja ji ju jo di du dya dyu dyo kwy gwa wo ______________________________________
A second system, the Nippon System, resembles the Official System closely, but also incorporates traditional Japanese notation which may exist as distinct syllables, but are no longer distinctly pronounceable entities, such as wi, we, wo, kwa, or gwa, for example.
A third system, the Hepburn, was created by James Curtis Hepburn, an early missionary to Japan. This system attempts to approximate Japanese syllables by combination of Roman characters which come closest to the true Japanese pronunciation when pronounced by English-speaking people.
The present invention will follow the Official System, except for the notation of certain foreign terms.
The Japanese language has, perhaps, the most complex script in the world. It is a mixture of KANJI ideographs and KANA phonetic letters. Most documents in Japan are handwritten and often hard to read unless the writer is an accomplished calligrapher.
Keyboards with over a hundred keys exist, where each key has several characters on it. As can be imagined, the analysis and typing of the characters is cumbersome and tiresome.
In addition, while each character signifies a separate concept, many words in Japanese are compounded from at least two such concepts and thus two characters.
Compounds of two KANJI characters are often unique, while a one KANJI character may not be unique. Using a phonetic conversion system, such as Romaji and computer programs, unique KANJI pairs can often be generated.
Many KANJI characters consist of two syllables and are represented utilizing Romaji character notation as CVCV, where C is a consonant and V is a vowel or a variation, such as CCV, VCV, CVV, CVC, VC or VV.
The present invention utilizes the Official System of Romaji notation, with some exceptions, and the observation that many characters are compounds of two syllables to produce a simplified keyboard for the entry of Japanese language text utilizing Romaji characters notation.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a keyboard device for the efficient entering of Japanese language text utilizing Romaji character notation.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a keyboard device that will allow multiple Romaji character input sufficient to produce the Romaji character representation of two Japanese language characters.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a method for the controlling and ordering of the characters of the Japanese language, utilizing Romaji character notation such that input of Japanese is greatly simplified.